Platte Canyon History

The Platte Canyon region is rich in history and tradition. To support the gold mining industry a road was built through the Platte Canyon region in the middle 1800s. Later in the 1800s The Denver South Park and Pacific Railroad was built though the region to support the timber industry.

BaileyThe town of Bailey was named after William Bailey who settled the area in 1864. After running a profitable business for many years, Mr. Bailey sold his land and moved to California. After the railroad was built, a short economic boom occurred in the area. A widow and mother of two, Mrs. McGraw ran a store and Post Office in Bailey. For a period, she owned most of the town. McGraw Memorial Park located in Bailey is named after the McGraw family and is home to some of Bailey's historical structures including the Entriken cabin, the only original building left from this era. The Entriken cabin was built by the towns name sake William Bailey. .....More

ShawneeHistoric Shawnee was once known as Fairville. Shawnee traces its roots back to the mid 1800's. The town father was one of the first commissioners when the county was formed back in 1861. The Post Office was one of the first buildings established. The Shawnee Lodges was added later, but burned to the ground in a 1929 fire. After the lodge was built, the town changed its name to Shawnee. A immigrant family from England came to Shawnee and built the Grand View Hotel, later a private residence, a store and a cemetery. Nearby, during railroad construction, a meat processing plant provided beef to crews building the railroad.

GrantThe town of Grant is named after Ulysses S. Grant, the famous civil war general. The Hepburn family established a post office with the name Grant in 1870. The family operated the Kenosha House and a wayside stop in the town. Just up from Grant is the Roberts Tunnel. This tunnel provides water to the Denver area from the Dillon reservoir. Although the expectation was that up to twenty-three people could be lost during the project, no one was killed or seriously injured.

Pine JunctionHere is where the Platte Canyon Region begins. Pine Junction was a cross-roads that provided access to the Pine Grove Ranch and the rest of the Platte Canyon region.